Hogwarts, Sorting Hats, and Slytherins
by Delena Aneled Hupp
Summary: A lesson in growing up: Wherein four boys will forge friendships, harass teachers, and simply live. -MWPP- -Year 1- -On Hold Indefinitely-
1. All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

**Hogwarts, Sorting Hats and Slytherins**

By Cyber Nomad aka Delena/Aneled Hupp

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter yadda yadda yadda… It belongs to JK Rowling; Ya happy?

Chapter 1: All Aboard the _Hogwarts Express_!

"Platform 9 3/4? That can't be right; can it, Siri?" James Potter asked his best friend, Sirius Black. Sirius shrugged,

"I don't know, this my first time here, too! Wow! Look at that! A Muggle train! Dad would be in convulsions right now."

James Potter was about your average eleven-year-old boy, if you ignored the fact that he was a wizard and born to a wizarding family. He had a head full of messy black hair that could never be tamed, and blocky glasses hiding dark brown eyes. Sirius Black stood a few inches taller than James, and like James, was from a wizarding family, was a wizard himself, and had black hair and brown eyes- minus the glasses. Sirius and James had been the best of friends since they were in diapers; their families were good friends and lived one manor over from the other. They also had another friend; a new member of their elite troublemaking ranks, whose name was Remus Lupin, they had only met Remus a few months ago.

Sirius continued goggling at Muggles and their possessions as James sighed and glanced back down at his train ticket, then up at the platform signs. Nine and three-quarters... So engrossed was he at figuring the platform mystery out that he didn't even notice a thin, tired-looking boy running over to them waving his hands and shouting. Sirius punched James in the arm,

"Can't you hear Remy yelling his head off?" he asked James as the other boy approached motioning them ecstatically to follow.

"We're gonna miss the train," Remus gasped as he tugged their sleeves impatiently, "Come on!"

The other two followed the hyper brunette with their luggage wheeling behind them, as they reached the barrier between Platforms nine and ten. Remus ran directly at it then pass into the wall and vanished. James and Sirius gaped, looking flabbergasted. Remus passed through again,

"C'mon guys, hurry up!"

The other two glanced at each other hesitantly as Remus went back, then both ran through following one another. 

After they were on the other side Sirius crowed in triumph,

"That was wicked!" James nodded enthusiastically,

"Let's go through again!"

Remus laughed at them; he had done the same thing when he and his mother went through nearly an hour ago, so it was nothing new now. 

Remus was average height for his age, unlike James and Sirius, and had light brown hair and lovely amber eyes. He was thin and tired looking, but had seemingly inexpendable energy. He wore an older set of robes that were patched and frayed, and his luggage was the same but he proudly sported a brand-new schoolbag. Remus was only a half blood wizard, yet again unlike his friends, and lived with a family that adopted him since his parents died when he was two. He was still somehow a mysterious boy, who harboured a dark secret.

Sirius and James were ready to make a dash through the barrier when a pair of strong hands caught both boys by the hood of their robes.

"Not now boys, you'll miss your train," a tall lady with sand colored hair, hazel eyes, and a funny upturned nose said; Mrs. Lupin. The two boys sighed disheartened; but perked up immediately when they saw their ride. A great scarlet steam engine waited next to a platform, and above hung a sign that read _Hogwarts Express: 11:00_. Platform nine and three-quarters was packed with people dressed in all sorts of different robes, many already wearing their Hogwarts uniforms. Mrs. Lupin kept egging them on as they pushed their luggage over to the train, then they exchanged well wishes and goodbyes and were soon off. 

A half hour later, the three sat in a compartment near the back of the train, on their way to their first year at Hogwarts. Remus was reading a book titled Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) and frequently shifted excitedly in his seat. Sirius was by the window, leaning his head against it dreamily. He nearly dozed off on several occasions, when he would suddenly be jolted awake by Remus's constant shifting. James sat across from them, doodling on a piece of parchment until he was interrupted by a smiling witch pushing a cart full of sweets,

"Anything off the trolley dears?" she asked kindly.

Sirius and James met eyes with mischievous grins.

"Yes ma'am," Sirius said, putting on his charm as he smiled innocently, "Two boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."

James handed the witch two bronze Knuts and she handed them two small boxes. Sirius opened the box and fished around, finally producing a single tiny bean and offered it to Remus. The brunette shook his head, stating he didn't like every flavor beans.

"Wussy-baby," Sirius teased.

"I am not, you prat!" Remus retorted indignantly. James waved the speckled bean in front of Remus's face, and he snatched it grumpily and popped it in his mouth. Sirius stifled a giggle as Remus turned a pale shade of green.

"Dammit, Siri," he swore before quickly tearing out of the compartment towards the back of the train, leaving the dark haired duo rolling on the floor in fits of laughter. 

Once the pair had regained their composure and returned to their seats, another first year; a short boy with a round face, blue eyes, and slightly thin hair in a bowl cut came by. He looked rather nervous and scared.

"Um... can I... do you mind... if... you see; the other compartments are full... and could...could I sit here?" he inquired in a flustered mumble.  James nodded his head, acknowledging the other boy to come in so he did. No sooner did he sit down, was he met by a hand in front of his face. He looked across to see who the hand belonged to and saw Sirius, arm extended, wearing a megawatt grin.

"Sirius Black," he quipped happily. The shorter boy took Sirius's hand and shook it,

"Peter. Peter Pettigrew," he squeaked. James then held his hand out to Peter shaking his energetically.

"Name's James Potter," he declared proudly. Remus stumbled back into the compartment looking much better than when he ran out. He plopped down next to Sirius muttering how glad he was that no one was in the bathroom; and then noticed the shorter boy across from him.

"Hullo," he said, "What's your name?"

"Peter Pettigrew," Peter answered.

"I'm Remus Lupin," he stated, "Peter is?" The smaller boy nodded. "Well, if they offer you a bean, "he mouthed, "Don't take it."

Peter quirked his eyebrow curiously at this. James just chuckled and then faced the shorter boy.

"So, what kind of family are you from?" he asked casually.

"What kinda family?" the blue-eyed boy puzzled.

"Yeah," Sirius put in, "Wizard or Muggle? Or maybe you're like our Remy here; half and half... like creamer..."

"So now I'm creamer," Remus mumbled.

"Oh, my family's pure-blooded wizards," Peter offered, but James was tuned out and now fixed on a pretty red-headed girl with emerald eyes in the compartment across from theirs. Sirius poked James in the knee.

"Whatcha gawkin at?" he questioned, poking the bespectacled boy continuously. Remus pointed to the redhead, and Sirius got up smiling impishly, and sauntered over to the compartment of girls. They looked up at him and giggled. One of them had mid-length black hair, one had short strawberry blond hair and was freckled, then there was a pair of girls with identical honey colored hair in two long braided pigtails and both had freckles; they looked like clones of one another- Sirius concluded that they were twins. Then, of course, there was also the red-head.

"Afternoon, ladies," Sirius addressed casually. 

"Hi," the strawberry blond giggled, "Who are you?"

At this he replied, "Sirius Black," and gave a roguish grin, at which a dark haired girl giggled furiously. James finally snapped out of his trance and joined Sirius; after all Black shouldn't be the only one allowed to charm the girls, especially the redhead... The girls giggled more as James came over.

"Who's your friend?" the redhead asked. James suddenly began glowing brilliant red and his glasses slowly slid down the bridge of his nose.

"J-James Potter," he managed to stutter, which resulted in some of the girls erupting into giggles. Then the dark haired spoke,

"Articulate aren't ya?" she said in an almost cynical voice. Remus decided then to join the dark-haired duo; taking claim to the impish grin generally accustomed to Sirius.

"Believe it or not, it's James's first time around girls," he commentated quite somberly.

One of the freckled girls with honey colored hair blinked quizzically, 

"Really?" she asked. Her twin giggled at the other's expense.

"Of course not," James retorted importantly, pushing his glasses back up his nose. They all laughed at the scrawny dark-haired boy; but their laughter was cut short by the sound of an unwelcomed, drawling voice.

"It's their first time out of the Manor; God only knows why their families are endangering civilization by letting them toddle around," the boy from whom the voice came from said. He was a thin pale boy with long silver-blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, a leather headband across his forhead, and malicious grey eyes. Sirius whipped around furiously to face the boy; James moved toward him,

"Shove it, Malfoy," he snapped at the newcomer; who was smiling poisonously. The two dark-haired boys both shared a deep antipathy toward the boy known as Lucius Malfoy, but this was Remus's first time meeting the infamous Malfoy that only exaggerated horror stories had been told of.

"New friends?" he asked coldly as he observed Peter and Remus; making a face of obvious disapproval at the state of Remus's robes. Peter frowned, so far this Malfoy was an unpleasant character.

Remus swept forward and extended his hand formally before the pale boy,

"I'm Remus Lupin," he introduced in a cool tone. Malfoy glanced down at Remus's hand, eying it shrewdly as though it were a rotting carcass.

"Half blood I'm sure," he retorted smugly. Peter swiftly made his way over to Malfoy, and stared him in the face- which, if not for the intensity of the moment would have been a very amusing scene.

"What does blood matter?" he scowled, drawing looks of astonishment from his friends and making Malfoy glower icily at him. James and Sirius joined Remus and Peter all glaring at Malfoy with eyes like daggers. Remus approached Malfoy nonchalantly with his wand concealed up his sleeve.

"You're making quite an ass of yourself; picking a fight when you're outnumbered like this," he chided the blond boy as if haranguing a small child. As he lectured, the tip of his wand had protruded from his sleeve and was pointed at the bottom hem of Malfoy's robes. The other three boys and the compartment of girls all watched, while suffocating laughter that threatened to surface; as Malfoy's robes began to bleed into a neon pink and violet. Incredibly though, the blond didn't notice and just gave Remus one last look of disgust before abruptly turning on his heel and stalking away muttering under his breath about "Mudbloods". The group exploded into hysterical laughter as he slunk off, and laughed even harder when a rather vexed scream of "What the hell?!" reached their end of the train.

Between fits of laughter Sirius managed to gasp, "Toodles ladies!" before he and James hurridly ushered Peter and Remus to their compartment and locked the door- just in time. Outside they could hear the angry swearing voice of Lucius Malfoy and another voice accompanying; as well as pounding on the door.

Their remaining hours on the train passed uneventfully as Malfoy had given up, so they bade the time by playing exploding snap. The train began to slow down, and a voice announced all over the train,

"We will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes time, please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Sirius whooped loudly then yanked his suitcase off its rack and rumaged around furiously through it; finally pulling out a grey sweater, a black robe, and black tie. He quickly pulled the sweater over his head and pulled on the robe before attempting to fasten his tie. The other boys already had on their school robes, so instead of changing they packed up their game and headed out into the corridor with the other students as the train came to a stop. Everyone disembarked the train, all speaking excitedly in a tumult of voices. A great voice suddenly boomed out over the crowd of students,

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" The students followed the source of the voice; until they were at the end of the train platform; then saw who was speaking: a giant of a man with a tangled main for a beard and tiny, glinting black eyes. Several kids marveled with verbal expressions or gaping mouths. 

"All righ', that everyone? Firs' years follow me!" the giant man lead them down a steep narrow path to the banks of a large lake. Several students gasped, what had so raptly captured their attention was across the lake: an immense castle atop a high mountain; tall, glittering and grand with towers and turrets cutting into the open night sky like pointed fingers reaching for the heavens. Several of them felt quite at loss for words- except Sirius who very clearly expressed himself verbally through his exclamaition of "Holy crap!"- which extracted several giggles from the girls. Near him Remus and Peter stood, the tawny haired boy looked on the verge of short-circuiting from excitement while the smaller blue-eyed boy; now pale as the ghost that occupied Sirius's cellars; appeared ready to faint from nerves. 

"Come on, get in, no more'n four to a boat," the giant-man instructed. As soon as he spoke the other three boys followed Sirius's lead and made a mad dash to clamber inside a boat; making their claim known to the other first years. Sitting in a boat next to theirs, was Malfoy and three other boys; all giving the others looks of death. James and Sirius recognized two of them as Malfoy's regular thugs, whose names were never known to the darkhaired duo; but the third one they did not recognize at all. He was a sour looking chap with sallow skin, black greasy hair touching his shoulders, and a large hooked nose. Apparently Remus knew him though, judging by his miserable grumble, "Snape," in an undertone. On the other side of James and his group the girls from the train-minus one of the twins- occupied a boat. The darkhaired girl grinned wickedly at them and giggled a shrill giggle, the others waved at them.

Peter shifted uncomfortably in his wooden seat as the boats departed from the shore on their own accord.

"That girl," he gestured towards the darkhaired one in the next boat, "she scares me." The others nodded their agreements. Now the castle that was once so far away was looming closer, and soon enough they were in a sort of harbour under the castle. They all scrambled out of the boats, and were off following the light of the giant-man's lamp far ahead, crawling up rocks until they felt soft grass beneath their feet. They had reached the entrance of the castle, a tremendous and elaborately carved magnificent oak door. Peter looked up at it and unintentionally squeaked, making several people around him chuckle. The giant-man suddenly knocked three times on the gargantuan door and the students all held baited breaths as the door creaked open.

A/N: Wo-hoo!!!!!!!!! Lookie that! Chapter 2 is coming soon. As soon as I type. 

I've updated the story a little; I don't like it rated G. I have made a sad discovery: Although many writers out there; myself included; have written Lucius into our fics- the sad truth is he is older than the Marauders, considerably. I don't recall him mentioning any personal animosity towards James Potter, and had he been in the same year, I'm sure he would have had some nasty things to say. But that's just what I think.


	2. Is the Hat for Dancing?

Chapter 2: Is The Hat For Dancing?

When the doors opened they were met by a tall, stern looking witch with black hair pulled back in a tight bun and square spectacles. She led them through the grand foyer and into a small chamber next to another pair of massive oak doors. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, then briefly explained to them that they would be entering the Great Hall for the start of term banquet. She then told them that the Sorting ceremony would begin the banquet, and each of them would be placed in one of four Houses; Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. 

"I will be returning shortly, I'd suggest you smarten yourselves up," she said, "And do keep quiet." She gave Remus a haphazard glance and then left the chamber. A low murmur of voices rose as the first years began talking quietly among themselves and in a few minutes McGonagall return and they followed her to the hall where the Ceremony would take place. The doors were opened and they stepped inside of the Great Hall, marveling at its size and splendor. Several long wood tables were lined up, all of them occupied by students. Hundreds of candles were suspended in the air were the ceiling should have been but instead it looked as thought the roof opened up to the night sky. McGonagall brought out a stool and an old tattered wizard's hat, and then set the hat on the three legged stool. Sirius leaned towards James,

"What d'ya wager the hat's for? Tap dancing?" he whispered. James chuckled and replied, 

"Maybe we dance to see what house we belong in." They both laughed quietly until someone started singin. _It was the hat!_ A rip near the brim served as a mouth and through it came a curious song. As the hat continued the first years wore various expressions ranging from shock to delight. When the hat was through, McGonagall unrolled a parchment scroll.

"When I call your name come up and put on the hat," she said briskly, "Once you have been sorted, go to your house table." She then looked down at the scroll.

"Abbey, Alice."

The strawberry blonde from the train stepped forward and sat uncertainly on the stool and carefully placed the hat on her head. No sooner than it touched the hat exclaimed,

"Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table burst into applause as Theresa joined them looking terribly relieved. The hall's attention reverted back to McGonagall as she resumed calling students.

"Bellandy, Mara," became a Hufflepuff. James overheard Malfoy complaining about the first two Hufflepuff's right away. Lucius was sitting at the Slytherin table; he had already attended Hogwarts for six years going into his seventh- Sirius just kept forgetting. The blond boy spoke too soon, because just then his girlfriend Narcissa Black's little sister, Bellatrix Black became a Slytherin like her older sister.

"Black, Sirius"

Sirius bounded up front and plopped the too-big hat on his head, all the while grinning like an idiot. The hat took a few minutes to decide until it finally declared,

"Gryffindor!"

This time a roar of cheers came from the Gryffindor table. Sirius joined them and glanced over at his friends visibly crossing his fingers. James grinned and gave Sirius a thumbs up; the new Gryffindor was the first in a family and ancestory of Slytherins. 

"Chandler, Matthew," also became a Gyffindor, "Courtney, Jason," a Hufflepuff as well, "Croy, Seth," a Ravenclaw. Then came a name that might have been just as unimportant as the others, 

"Evans, Lily"

The red-head. Sirius hammed it up by cat-calling Lily from the Gryffindor table as she walked forth to face her doom with mild trepidation. Upon sitting down she cautiously crowned the hat atop her head, and in a few seconds it cried out,

"Gryffindor!"

James applauded wildly; secretly hoping now more than ever to be in Gryffindor. Another name was called "Hack, Sabine" another cousin of Sirius's. After Hack was "Hassan, Nadia," who became a Ravenclaw.

 Next were the twins in braids,

"Hupp, Aneled": Gryffindor, and then,

"Hupp, Delena" also became a Gryffindor. As the two headed for the Gryffindor table Sirius greated them with a whistle, James helped from where he was standing.

"Lupin, Remus,"

All eyes were now on Remus as he pushed his way up front, walking with the air of one sentanced to Azkaban. _Please be Gryffindor, please be Gryffindor... _he silently begged as he quickly slipped on the hat. Everyone watched in silence as moments flew by when the hat finally boomed,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus flew off the seat and raced over to the Gryffindor table; where he was welcomed with smiles and slaps on the back. And naturally, he recieved a noogie from Sirius.

James bit his thumbnail anxiously, occasionally glancing over at the Gryffindor table where sat his two best friends and the lovely Lily Evans- he just had to be in Gryffindor, there was no maybe about it. As he nervously watched the Gryffindor table, the wild-haired boy didn't notice "Lynn, Nathan" be dubbed Slytherin. Suddenly James was struck with a horrible thought; what if he got sorted into _Slytherin_, your house was your Hogwarts family. The thought made him feel sick, so he decided to push it as far back into his mind as was possible. 

"Munroe, Alesca,"

Peter elbowed James; they both recognized Alesca. Alesca Munroe was the very scary dark-haired girl who hung out with Lily and the twins. Peter crossed his fingers and murmered his hopes that Alesca might be sorted into Ravenclaw; a house he was certain he'd never have a shot at. To both boys' great jubilation, the hat shouted 

"Ravenclaw!" after several minutes- several long minutes.

The smaller boy now looked paler than before and had broken into a cold sweat. The N's had been very few, and now McGonagall was in the P's. "Parkinson, Craig" a Slytherin, "Patil," was a Ravenclaw, "Peck, Brittany" a Slytherin. Then it came down to

"Pettigrew, Peter." The blue eyed boy froze on the spot. McGonagall's hawk-like gaze swept over the the Great Hall, then she repeated his name. James gave the boy a shove and Peter stumbled up to the hat and perched it on his head. Again the hat took several minutes to decide, making Peter's complexion turn a sickly shade of green. Finally the hat declared,

"Hufflepuff!"

Peter nearly slid off in relief, then he got up and headed for the Hufflepuff table; looking both happy that he wasn't in Slytherin, but wistful because none of his friends were in Hufflepuff.

"Potter, James." The boy with unruly hair marched proudly up to the stool and sat down. Then with an air of mock dignity he put on the hat, wearing it as if it were a crown. It only took seconds for the hat to decide,

"Gryffindor!"

At this splendid turn of events James practically threw off his hat and bolted over to the Gryffindor table were Remus and Sirius waited.

"Damn. It's too bad Pete's a Hufflepuff," Sirius said as his bespectacled friend took a seat, he and Remus nodded in agreement.

"Amen to that," the Potter kid said. Remus made a good point, though when he said that Peter could still be "brainwashed" even if he was in a different house. The crowd of first years had finally begun to diminish, and now the S's were being called up.

"Snape, Severus."

Remus cringed when the hook-nosed boy was called up. The hat declared him a Slytherin in the end. Only five students now remained. "Watkins, Rachel" became a Hufflepuff, "Wydell, Daniel" a Ravenclaw, "Wydell, Juniper" a Slytherin, "Wyrosdick, Parker" the last Hufflepuff for that year, and then, "Zabini, Malcom" was that year's last Slytherin. Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and stool and took them away as an aged wizard with a long white beard and hair stood up at the staff table before the body of students. His eyes shone from behind his half moon spectacles.

"Good evening to everyone," he bagan. James could hear several students whisper excitedly to one another _Professor Dumbledore's the new headmaster!_ Of course, this made no difference to James. The headmaster continued,

"Frist of all, I would like to welcome our first years, I hope we all have an excellent year. Second of all; for the new students, I am the new Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. The staff, older students and myself are all certainly grieved by the passing of our late Headmaster, Aramondo Dippet. But, such as life is, nothing is forever; and death- to the well organized mind- is merely the next great adventure. Next on the agenda, it pleases me greatly to announce that the former Ancient Runes teacher, Professor Minerva McGonagall, is now the Transfiguration instructor and has also been promoted to Deputy Headmistress." there was a scattered applause, largely coming from the Prefects' table. 

"Now, onto more serious matters," he continued, "this year a new addition has been made to the Hogwarts grounds. A rare Whomping Willow has been planted outside of the front school entrance, and I would advise anyone who values their lives or limbs to avoid it. That being said; let's have a productive and eventful year; and of course: dig in."

The feast was by far the greatest meal the boys had ever had; and when it was over they felt quite contented and full. Throughout the entire course of the meal, however, Remus barely touched his food, and he had begun to look very pale. Sirius didn't question though; he simply assumed that the long ride over finally caught up with his amber-eyed friend. Professor Dumbledore finally dismissed everyone after dessert. The House Prefects started rounding evryone up, as the groups finally split up and headed to their dormatories. Peter ran up to his Gryffindor friends to say goodnight as the Hufflepuff group broke off down another corridor. The blond haired boy gave a quick squeaked as he ran down the hall to catch up with his group. 

The Gryffindors were led by a tall black haired girl named Raven. They followed the shifting staircases all the way up to the seventh floor and were led through several shelves of books and a few classrooms when they stopped in front of a portrait. In the portrait sat a fat lady in a pink dress; she looked at the students and then to Raven and asked,

"Password?"

"Squigglemoose," the Prefect replied without missing a beat. The portrait swung open and they all filed inside and found themselves standing in a large and rather cozy room. Squashy antique furniture decorated the room who's wall were covered in intricately woven tapestries, and a welcoming fire crackled in the large fireplace.

"Alright everyone," Raven called their attention, "The boys' dorms are that way, and girls' dorms are up those stairs." With that she went to the dorms leaving the first years to do as they would. Some stayed in the Common Room and talked a while; but most, as James, Sirius, and Remus did; went to the dorms. The room had five four-poster canopy beds and the trunks were already in front of each bed. The other two boys, Frank Longbottom, and Matthew Chandler had already gone to sleep; and Sirius was beginning to think that was a wonderful idea. So the three boys got into their pajamas and collapsed onto the beds; except for Sirius.

"Hit the deck!" he screamed as he kamikazed onto his four-poster. The others just grumbled or threw objects at him before drawing the curtains around the four-posters. With that the room plunged into silence; save for the soft breathing of five eleven-year-old boys sound asleep.

a/n: Oh my god! This is such a major accomplishment for me! I've never in my life finished writing a second chapter! Or any chapter after that... So! My further evidence against Malfoy's presence includes this reasonig: He seems to hold more of a nasty grudge to our buddy Aurthur Weasley, and perhaps that is because he was at school with him. And we know that Aurthur and Molly Weasley went to school before James and co. Anyhoo, this chapter was pure HELL to write because of the names. Some names I got from flipping through my yearbook, and some characters are based on people I know. I think that's it for the moment. Should I keep going? Tell me what you think! Review please! 


	3. The Girl Who Couldn't Fly

Chapter 3: The Girl Who Couldn't Fly

James Potter sighed heavily. He was only week and a half into school and he had already decided that Defense Against the Dark Arts was his least favorite class. Gladys Wydell was the Defense teacher; she was a scary woman with eerie silver eyes, messy, wild hair, and a beak-like nose. Not only was the woman the most unpleasant person to ever walk the earth - well, she tied in quite evenly with Lucius- but her daughter was almost as bad. Juniper was an obnoxious Slytherin girl who was in the same year as James and his friends. Juniper's Ravenclaw brother, Daniel, was far better to tolerate. So far the boys didn't mind the other classes, they still had potions (with Professor Wilde) to go to and then flying (with Madame Hooch). Remus seemed to be enjoying Defense Against the Dark Arts on a much higher level than James and Sirius, however; and it already seemed that this subject would be his forte at Hogwarts. Sirius tapped James on the shoulder, and indiscreetly as was possible he passed his wild haired friend a folded sheet of parchment. The tousle haired boy curiously opened it:

_Mr. Black would like to tell Mr. Potter that Mr. Black finds this class to be incredibly boring. Mr. Black would also like to add that he strongly believes Professor Wydell is the Spawn of Satan._

By this entry Sirius had scribbled a crude sketch of their Defense teacher and added horns and spikes to her, and an arrow pointing to the picture read _Spawn of Satan_. James laughed quietly, and no normal teacher except for maybe McGonagall would have heard it; but Wydell's arcane hearing picked up James's laughter on the spot. The dark-haired pair glanced up at the angry woman towering over them.

"Well, I can see who my _favorites_ are going to be this year," her eyes flashed menacingly as she spoke, "Something's funny over here, is it not? Do share; I'm sure we all would enjoy a good laugh."

James tried carefully to sneak the parchment under the table, just as the silver-eyed Professor spied it. His efforts were in vain he realized, as she snatched the folded paper from the Gryffindor boy's hand.

"Spawn of Satan, hm?" the Defense teacher commented as she read, "I guess that makes us family then Mr. Black."

All eyes now lay on Sirius, who had become sickly pale.

"I'm no pushover; and no one will treat me as such. Potter, Black; you two are being made examples of for the rest of your classmates. Step so much as one toe out of line in my class again and I'll see to it that you spend the rest of the year cleaning the Spawn of Satan's classroom-_without magic_," the woman smiled wickedly, and as she walked back up to the front she turned to the pair of boys and added, "Of course; how could I forget? Detention, for the both of you for disrupting my lesson."

James looked at Sirius miserably, and then sunk very low in his chair; it was going to be a long week.

When Defense Against the Dark Arts was over James, Sirius, and Remus headed down to the dungeons for Potions. As they walked down the hallways a voice shouted to them from a distance and the sound of running feet began to catch up with them. Lily Evans and the twins.

"What was that all about? At Defense?" Lily inquired, "Something about the Spawn of Satan?"

James stuttered an incoherent response that made the three girls giggle.

"I passed Jim a note," Sirius explained for his temporarily speechless friend. 

"She's probably gonna hang that over your head until you leave," Delena or Aneled said; but Sirius couldn't tell who was who.

As they reached the dungeons the group noticed a crowd of students outside of the potions classroom. The Professor hadn't arrived yet; the students were already used to Professor Wilde being late for class though. Orlan Wilde was the craziest teacher Hogwarts had to offer; completely random and sometimes very off topic, the Potions Master was a favorite among the students.

"Coming through; c'mon people, scatter," came the voice of Professor Wilde squeezing through the throng of students, and then unlocked the classroom door and everyone flooded in. Sirius, James and Remus found their seats as Wilde started calling roll.

"Spaz Black," he called as Sirius raised his hand. The dark haired boy had been given the nickname "Spaz" by the Professor a day before because of an incident occurring in class. The only other person in class to acquire a nickname was James: "Pothead". As the professor went down the list of names he reached Remus's and grinned wickedly as though struck by a sudden stroke of genius.

"Loopy Lupin," Remus sunk very low in his chair as several students giggled about this. Suddenly a figure came careening through the wall screeching,

"Loony loopy Lupin!"

Several students screamed as Peeves the Poltergeist dove through the classroom scattering parchments and books as he did. Professor Wilde didn't yell; he just laughed. Perhaps the deranged Potions Master was the only staff member in the whole of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry who didn't mind Peeves. That was one of his many traits that made him such a strange personality that students loved. Potions went by rather uneventfully; Wilde decided acids would have to wait until later that year thanks to "Spaz"; so they worked on a mixture that would alter pigments- in James's case, his skin colour. Things were too dull in Sirius's opinion, so he reached over to Remus (who was having a difficult time in Potions already) and dripped the tiniest bit of solution onto the poor boy's hair. The formerly tawny haired boy felt something on his head so he ran his hand through his hair, and noticing nothing unusual continued his concoction. It wasn't until Lily whispered something about it to him that he noticed. She handed him a mirror from her bag, and he saw that he no longer had a head full of sandy brown hair- instead it was now loud green. 

The amber-eyed boy didn't say anything as he finished adding the last few ingredients to his potion. Professor Wilde looked up from his desk and sniggered at Remus's hair colour, then nodded in approval at the wiry youth's obvious plan for revenge. The green haired boy leaned back cautiously as he reached around James and placed several tiny droplets randomly on Sirius Black's head. In a matter of seconds Remus's wild friend was sporting outrageous purple highlights. Wilde couldn't take anymore and finally broke into laughter. James looked around to see what their estranged professor was amused by now, when his eyes came to rest on his best friend with purple highlights. The bespectacled preteen joined the potions Master's laughter too, especially when he looked on his other side and saw Remus with his lime green hair.

Once again it was time for a class change as the boys headed for their final class for the day, which they were doubled with Hufflepuff. This was their instructor's first year teaching. Madame Hooch was a young teacher probably in her early twenties, but she carried with her the confidence of a woman who had been teaching for years. Sirius and Remus's hair finally returned to normal by now. As all of the students assembled on the flying pitch, the hawk-eyed Flying Professor came walking out. They knew the drill by now, don't cut up in class and Madame Hooch would be nice in return. The class had been practicing hovering the over the past week; and Madame Hooch had promised them if they behaved they could start flying today. Sirius tried very hard to control himself; he wanted to fly so badly. They started the class like they did every day; they went over flying etiquette, broom care, what to do in emergencies, and finally hovering. Everything was crammed today though, because as Madame Hooch promised, they would do some flying. Sirius grinned at his friends as he mounted his broom. To prevent any havoc breaking loose, the yellow-eyed professor only allowed one student in the air at a time. 

James volunteered to go first, since he had flown a lot at home and felt very comfortable flying. The scrawny boy proved to be excellent on his broom, managing the relic with graceful mastery. When his time was up, Madame Hooch blew her whistle and he descended to the ground. 

Sirius was jumping up waving his hand ecstatically as the Flying instructor scanned the first years for another volunteer. The tall dark-haired boy soon became airborne, soaring through the air, trying to show his friend up but not quite making it. He began his quiet descent and touched ground. 

Several others had flown as Sirius and James hounded Remus and Peter to go. As Madame Hooch waited for another volunteer, Sirius pushed Remus forward. The tawny haired boy glared at his eccentric friend before taking off. When Remus first started his flight was unsteady and shaky (he suffered slight acrophobia) but as he continued, the tired looking boy relaxed. He landed without much trouble and was congratulated by Sirius and James. 

Peter decided to finally give it a try since the rest of his friends already went. The small boy ambled forward with his broom and on Madame Hooch's signal took off uneasily. The blond youth had his eyes squeezed tightly shut until he realized that flying didn't feel too bad; and after that adapted fairly well. 

The remainder of the students took their turns until finally Lily Evans was left. She walked forward shaking like a bundle of nerves. As she mounted her broom James and his friends cheered her on. The redhead tool a deep breath, then kicked off. She felt her stomach leap into her throat suddenly and she clung the broom tightly. The emerald-eyed girl looked around cautiously and made the mistake of letting her eyes travel down seeing the ground a good many kilometers below. 

A sudden surge of panic broke through Lily making her broom start to fly out of control. Emergency procedures were erased from her mind in that moment of pandemonium as she desperately tried recalling what to do. Back on the ground, everyone watched anxiously as the redhead tried to gain control of her flight. Madame Hooch mounted her own broom and flew up to apprehend the panicking girl. 

Suddenly Lily's broom stopped, and she was left suspended in midair, clinging fiercely to her broom and crying. Madame Hooch gently escorted the young Gryffindor to the ground. Lily's friends went over to comfort the terrified girl, just as class was over for the day.

The boys headed for their dormitories to rest before going to the Great Hall for supper. They said goodbye to Peter and parted ways. James flopped down exhaustedly onto his four-poster. Sirius tugged his vest off and loosened his tie, while Remus pulled off his robe and threw it into his trunk.

"That, my friends," James said sleepily, "was an exciting day."

To be continued in Chapter four....

A/N: Hey everyone! Chapter 3 is complete! Sorry it's so short. About Peter being a Hufflepuff, it's like I told the people visiting my Elfwood gallery. He doesn't seem brave enough to be a Gryffindor; certainly not smart enough to be a Ravenclaw; and while he may be a traitorous bastard when he's older he's not cunning enough to be a Slytherin at this point in the game. He seems like the clingy type, and for six of their years at Hogwarts Peter sticks with the others; annoying at times but loyal just the same. It isn't until the end of their sixth year that Peter will start to demonstrate a change in personality and alliances. :) I have fun developing Peter's personality. One more thing, Professor Wilde is actually based on a really awesome teacher I had for Speech and Debate this past year. Thanks to all who have reviewed so far! I love you guys! Till chapter four...


	4. Midnight Snack Anyone?

Chapter four:  Midnight Snack Anyone?

Disclaimer: I've been forgetting, but I'm sure everyone realizes that I OWN THE MARAUDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA::cough, hack, wheeze::HAHAHAHA! Or not. ::Sighs dejectedly:: The boys belong to Mrs. Rowling. Andromeda belongs to Mrs. Rowling. ::eyes well up with tears:: Even Alice, Frank, Narcissa and Bellatrix belong to her! Wah! Wait... she can have Bellatrix ::kicks Sirius's evil cousin:: Hehe... on with the show!

The First Year boys' dormitory was silent. The peaceful quiet of night wrapped around every corner of the castle, and everyone slept quietly; except for Sirius Black and James Potter. The boys were just getting back from their first night of another week of detention courtesy of the Transfiguration Professor. They clambered rather noisily up the stairs, stirring some portraits as they ascended. 

Remus Lupin was wide-awake and waiting for his two friends to return from their happy school service. The sound of ungraceful footsteps and laughing told him his wait was over.

"Have fun?" he asked, wearing a smug smile as the two rather messy boys clambered into the room. Sirius and James glared at the tawny haired boy for a second then started laughing all over again.

"You're pretty damn clever, Rem; I don't understand how you wormed your way out of that," James said through fits of laughter. Matt Chandler sat up groggily.

"Shut up, you twats," he grumbled before he once more hit the pillow. The three glanced over at the now sleeping muggle born and sniggered.

"Let's go down to the common room," Sirius suggested as quietly as he could muster.

Once they were downstairs, the boys plopped down into the squishy chairs scattered about around the waning fire. The moment Remus sat down, his chair swallowed him up. 

"I don't know how you get out of detention so easily," Sirius said offhandedly, reviving the subject James attempted to start.

"The two of you have a bad rep with the teachers already. I, on the other hand, have a cleaner record over the past month," Remus answered, smiling in his usual maddeningly calm way. James chuckled, then his eyes widened suddenly.

"I have just been struck by genius!" he exclaimed, before his stomach grumbled loudly. He chuckled slightly, "And hunger," he added. Sirius's eyes suddenly went hazy and dreamlike.

"I propose," he said, imitating grandly the third year Ravenclaw girl Artemis DeMaar with a dreamy air, "That we raid the kitchens."

James and Remus laughed at their crazy friend's impression. 

"I think that's a good plan," Remus agreed after he stopped laughing. A couple of fourth year girls had appeared at the top of the stairs of the girls' dorms and were glowering at the first year boys angrily.

"Normal people do like to sleep at this time of night," one of the girls snapped. Sirius couldn't resist a retort,

"Who said we're normal?" he asked innocently. The dark-haired girl glared menacingly at him.

"Just shut up," the first girl with ginger hair said curtly before she and her friend returned to the dorm.

"Stupid little first years," the boys heard one grumble. James beckoned towards the portrait hole,

"Shall we journey then, lads?" he inquired in a sophisticated voice.

"I do believe we shall," Sirius returned, tipping an invisible hat. The group headed for the portrait hole when James suddenly stopped in his tracks and retreated up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Remus threw Sirius a curious look,

"What was that about?" he asked. Sirius thought a moment and then seemed to realize why.

"His cloak. His mum and dad got him an Invisibility cloak for Christmas last year," the dark-haired boy explained. Sure enough, James came careening down the stairs again with a shimmery cloak under his arm.

"Now we're ready," he said, holding it proudly for them to see. The three boys slipped out of the portrait hole stealthily then James unfolded his cloak and threw it over them. A prefect was standing against the wall just ahead. Sirius turned to James and Remus and put a finger to his lips; the other two nodded in confirmation. As though they weren't even there, the three first years sneaked pass the Prefect without him ever noticing. Once they rounded the corner they pulled the cloak off and snickered quietly amongst themselves.

"We need to go get Pete!" Sirius suddenly exclaimed as the other two motioned for him to be quiet.

"Do you have any idea where the Hufflepuff dorms are?" James whispered. His best friend just shook his head. 

"Ah, but I know where to find all of the Houses," Remus smirked triumphantly, when James and Sirius cast him inquisitive glances.

"You've known where _all_ the Houses are? How long?" the bespectacled preteen asked.

"Since last week," the tawny-haired boy replied. 

"I'm not going to even asked how you know," Sirius muttered offhandedly, "But instead of asking questions, tally ho boys!" And with that they once again vanished.

The trio journeyed down corridor after corridor, through portatraits and walls before they grew tired of crouching under the cloak and felt it was safe to emerge. Walking along somewhat carelessly, the boys never noticed that a Gryiffindor Seventh year girl was now following them. She tiptoed behind them tactfully, never stepping too hard until she was ready to reveal her presence. Wasting no time, the wiry blond launched herself at Sirius and hugged him tightly from behind, lifting him off the ground. All three boys screamed, forcing the Seventh Year to put a silencing charm on them and pull them underneath the Invisibility cloak. In no time at all, the caretaker, Filch, and his faithful sidekick; the skeletal gray cat Mrs. Norris, came huffing down the hall. The four held their breaths as the cat approached them. The invisible group stood stone still, none daring to move, hoping Mrs. Norris would move on.

"More nasty children out of their rooms again, my sweet?" old Filch wheezed to Mrs. Norris. Suddenly there was an almighty crash coming from a floor above them and Peeves's shrieking laughter followed. Filch and his cat departed from the spot immediately, with the old caretaker muttering under his breath all the while. The four students exhaled sighs of relief, then took of the cloak and turned to the girl. She grinned somewhat sheepishly as she meekly waved at them.

"Hi," she said in a nervous chuckle, then once again grappled Sirius in a bear hug.

"Hi Sirius! I haven't seen you in so long you've gotten so big I can't believe you're already a first year!" she suddenly rambled in one breath. Sirius, meanwhile had begun to turn blue. He very weakly patted her shoulder as he gasped,

"Great to see you too, Andy. Please let go- I can't breathe."

She suddenly seemed to realize she was strangling the dark-haired boy and dropped him unceremoniously on the spot.

"Thanks," Sirius rasped. 

The girl looked in James's direction before another wild grin flitted across her face. The bespectacled youth dove behind Remus, but the Seventh Year seized the Potter boy anyway.

"James Potter! You've gotten so tall you're almost as tall as Siri I can't believe you two have grown so much!" she wailed dramatically, crushing James in her impressive grip. Remus backed away slowly, hopping the madwomen wouldn't notice or know him. 

"Andy, you're squishing Jimbo," Sirius commented casually, and the girl dropped James also. Remus inched over towards his eccentric friend,

"Who is she?" he questioned uncertainly. Sirius grinned.

"This, Remy my friend, is my cousin, Andromeda Black," he answered, beaming proudly. Andromeda took a rather ungraceful bow.

"I'm the oldest of the Black girls," she said in a chipper manner.

"Her sisters are my cousins Narcissa, and Bellatrix," Sirius mumbled with a grimace. Remus gaped at Sirius and Andromeda.

"They're your _cousins_?" he asked incredulously, "I mean, sure they're also Blacks, but-but... Wow; I feel for ya mate," he finished, and then patted Sirius on the back.

"Yeah, I've felt sorry for him for a while," James said. Andromeda began to pout.

"What about me? Don't you guys feel sorry for me? They're my _sisters_! I have to live with them!" she whined pathetically, "And what's worse is that Narcissa is already engaged to Lucius Malfoy! She'll graduate after next year and they plan on being married as soon as she's out of school. 

"I'm going to be related to a _Malfoy,_" she added now really on the verge of tears. Sirius backed away in slight horror at the news.

"_Malfoy_? I'll also be related to him! Oh God, related to Malfoy. What did I do to deserve a family like mine?" the First Year Black also fell into a sulky mood. Remus and James exchanged glances uncertainly; and Remus walked over to Sirius.

"We still have to alert Peter and raid the kitchens," he reminded his sullen friend. The young Gryffindor perked up at remembering the raid. He looked over at his cousin who was tracing the stone floor with her finger miserably.

"You wanna come, Andy?" Sirius sympathetically asked his dejected cousin. She looked up at him grinning.

"Raid the kitchen? Really? _I'd love to!_" she squealed excitedly, then jumped up completely recovered. Remus looked at her in a mildly amused expression.

"What year are you?" he asked. 

"Seventh," she replied, still grinning in a manner eerily reminiscent of Sirius's, "Who are you?"

"Remus Lupin," the tawny-haired boy answered. Andromeda slung her hand towards Remus, who shook it uncertainly; then was unexpectedly pulled into a massive hug by the Seventh year.

"So nice to meet ya," Andromeda chirped as she freed Remus from the deadly grip. Sirius and James sniggered before the crazy girl came over and slung her arms over the considerably shorter first years' shoulders.

"Let us forward then gentlemen!" she happily stated. Remus joined the odd trio.

"All clear Mr. Black?" he asked the grinning young man. Sirius looked down the corridors and returned to the group mock saluting Remus.

"All clear, Mr. Lupin," he replied over exaggerating a serious tone. With that, they followed Remus's lead to the Hufflepuff Commons.

Fifteen minutes later they arrived outside a suit of armour.

"This is it?" Sirius asked unamused.

"This would be Hufflepuff," Remus answered, "Slytherin's is a stone wall."

"And the password is....?" James questioned trailing off. Remus stood before the suit of armour and spoke.

"Pixie Wings," he said. 

The wall slid back with the suit of armour retreating also, and now an opening in the wall revealed the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room. The trio stepped over the threshold. Remus walked forward leaving the others behind. When he entered the Common Room, a Fifth Year girl was sitting in front of the fire pouring over a textbook frantically. No doubt, she was studying for O.W.L.s. He cleared his throat quietly to get her attention; and the girl jumped about a foot off of her chair. She whipped her head around towards Remus, with a hand over her heart.

"Excuse me? What do you want?" she panted.

"Er… Is Peter Pettigrew around?" the amber-eyed boy asked quietly. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Pettigrew?" she asked in a tone dripping with disdain, "He's in his dorm. 

Oy, Jennings!" she shouted to a Fifth Year boy who had just descended from the boys' dorms, "This kid wants Pettigrew, could you get him?"

"Sure," the boy said willingly, "Be back in a minute." A few minutes later Peter came tromping down the staircase. When he saw Remus in the Common Room, a large grin broke out on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked excitedly, and positively squeaked with glee when he saw the others step forward, "All of you? What's the occasion?"  

To be continued in chapter 5! 

A/N: I wrote this chapter after having the world's worst case of writer's block; it's called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I hate chapter thirty six. Sorry, had to go through chapters one an two and change some info on Sirius and his relations. I really don't like chapter thirty-six. Hufflepuff's aren't necessarily the loyal hard workers. They're also the ones that don't really fit in the other houses. The sorting hat's new song said it that way, that Helga Hufflepuff took the remainder students that the others didn't. Anyhoozles, Andromeda's coolies. It's raining. I like rain. Do you like the story? I've got a fab idea involving the showers and Bohemian Rhapsody... 

You guys know the drill: love the fic, hate it, have a suggestion? Give me some feedback peeps! 

Oh! Before I forget, shout-outs!

Thanks Eagle Lord for being there every chapter!

Alesca who doesn't really count because I know her in real life and made her read my fic,

Oneiros Lykos for being the first to review; 

And all anonymous and random people who gave me 18 comments! My biggest hit story so far! Thanks sooo much you guys! This chapter was for you! Oh! Belandra dear, you are so right about Sirius. ::sigh:: I get all teary just writing about him. I can't blame Mrs. Rowling though; I do the same thing to my own characters... Sora-doragon now black*sparrow; girl your review didn't show up! Terribly sorry! Lil smartass's review didn't appear either...

Thanks to everyone also who put my story on your favorites list! I feel so special! ::trips and falls on face:: Okay, special feeling gone...


	5. Ticklish Pears

Chapter five: Ticklish Pears

Disclaimer: All bow before Mrs. Rowling; she owns the world! Or, at least the Marauders and Hogwarts and- well crap. She owns all the characters that I don't; which is alot. ::sniffles:: Like Sirius. And his Cuz. And I don't own Bohemian Rhapsody. That's the property of the almighty Queen. Bow before the British glam rockers!

"What's the occasion?" Peter asked, grinning even more broadly when he saw James and Sirius step forward. The Fifth Year girl closed her book and headed up to the girls dormatory, leaving Peter and the others with the Common Room to themselves. Sirius looked around the Common Room mildly impressed.

"So this is what it's like inside Hufflepuff," he stated rather than questioned. Peter nodded.

"Yup," Peter said warmly, "This is my home at school."

"Right then," James said stepping forward, "Enough pleasantries; we have a most intriguing proposition that might spark your interest, Mr. Pettigrew."

James said this with his formal dignified voice; the others chuckled. Peter cocked his head, then took a seat much like an important man about to strike a major deal with an investor.

"Very well then, Mr. Potter; I would like to hear this proposition," he said in a voice strangely unfamiliar to his own high squeak. James and Sirius each seated themselves as well in chairs across from Peter; while Andromeda and Remus made themselves comfortable on the plush couch. Sirius leaned forward in a business-like manner.

"Mr. Pettigrew, my parter, Mr. Potter and I have rallied a small strike team as you can see seated on the couch," Sirius said in a low voice, indicating towards his cousin and tawny-haired friend.

"We wondered," he continued, "if you would be interested in joining us."

"The strike team is assembled for the sole purpose of raiding the Hogwarts kitchens," James took over. Peter's mouth twitched into a grin again.

"I think you have yourselves a deal, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black," the round faced boy stated professionaly, but then turned to Remus and Andromeda and indicated toward the girl, "Who is she?"

Andromeda straightened up in her seat.

"Andromeda Black," she quipped cheerfully, standing up and holding her hand out to Peter; at which gesture Remus hid his laughter. Peter took her hand without so much as a second thought and like the others before him, was pulled into a massive hug that could only be given by Andromeda Black. The small Hufflepuff seemed terribly shocked by the tall girl's friendliness. She let go of Peter and patted the considerably shorter boy's head with a pleased grin. 

"Shall we be off then? The hour grows late," Remus pointed out, still slightly shaking from laughter. The others acknowledged this and without another word they exited the Hufflepuff Commons.

"Is she related to Sirius?" Peter asked the amber-eyed Gryffindor next to him. Remus nodded.

"How could you tell?" he asked sarcastically.

"Lucky guess," the smaller boy answered.

The oddly assembled group descended the shifting staircases and finally reached the ground floor. They made their way to the Entrance Hall, then to the left and down a flight of stairs. The corridor was lit well, and several portraits of food were hung. Andromeda stopped them in front of a picture of a bowl of fruit. She reached towards the pear, and tickled it. The boys boore expressions mixed of amusement and question, but before they could ask; the pear turned into a doorknob and they followed the 7th year in. 

"Welcome to the kitchens boys," Andromeda whispered. They were now standing in a cavernous room much like the Great Hall, and saw house elves bustling about. One elf took notice of the newcomers and gave a squeak that sounded vaguely like Peter's. Sirius's cousin gave him a light slap on the back.

"Well," she said, yawning, "I think you can manage it from here; I'm going back to the dorms for some sleep."

"Aw, can't you stay," Sirius asked with a pout. Andromeda shook her head laughing; then said goodnight to each of them before give them a bone-crushing hug one at a time. As she headed for the portrait, however, she turned to face them; wearing an inspired expression.

"I can show you some of the passages I know sometime! Then my legacy will live on in Hogwarts!" will that being said, she finally departed, leaving her first year friends to muse her parting words. James's face lit up.

"This is brilliant!" he exclaimed, "She knows more of this place than we do!"

"Think of what we can do if we know the secret passages!" Sirius joined in, practically shaking with mirth. 

"Pardon, sirs," a small voice said from behind them, making the group of first years jump. A house elf, stood there timidly shifting from one foot to another.

"Can we help you sirs?" the elf asked hopefully; and the boys' faces lit up in grins.

~*~*~*~*~

Quite full and contented with sneaking around the school after hours; the four boys headed to the Hufflepuff dorms.

"That was great guys! Don't leave me out of anything else," Peter said quietly before leaving the safety of the invisibility cloak. The three remaining boys waited until he was safely in the Common room before heading towards their own. 

"How can Andy sneak around without any invisibility cloaks, I wonder?" Remus whispered curiously. Sirius shrugged.

"She's always had that stealthy edge over everyone else in the family," the darkhaired boy answered. 

They reached the portrait hole for Gryffindor Tower and the Fat Lady gave them questioning looks, but said nothing.

"Squigglemoose," Remus said, allowing the portrait to swing open for them to clamber inside.

"Time is it?" Sirius asked when they had all plopped down on chairs in the Common Room. James checked the watch on his wrist,

"Ten twenty-one," he replied. The eccentric Gryffindor boy disappeared suddely into the dorms; then reemerged, arms laden with shower supplies.

"Still not to late for a shower!" he explained happily, and disappeared once again; now into the boys' showers. James and Remus shrugged and decided it wouldn't hurt anything, so they followed Sirius's suit and also headed to the showers. When they entered, however, Remus was starting to wish he hadn't- Sirius's voice was heard very clearly singing from an occupied stall. Rolling his eyes and ignoring the nutty rock music coming from the off-kilter Black, the tawny haired boy claimed an empty stall. 

"Mama,just killed a man, Put a gun against his head, Pulled my trigger,now he's dead," the music started seeping into Remus's quiet world, "Mama,life had just begun, But now I've gone and thrown it all away- Mama ooo, Didn't mean to make you cry- If I'm not back again this time tomorrow- Carry on,carry on,as if nothing really matters-"

What the heck was he singing, Remus wondered. James decided to join in now,

"Too late,my time has come, Sends shivers down my spine- Body's aching all the time," James's voice crooned, "Goodbye everybody-i've got to go- Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth Mama ooo- (any way the wind blows) I don't want to die, I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all-"

Remus groaned helplessly; Sirius and James began their own version of a guitar piece now, and it lasted for about a minute before James began humming a perkier beat.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango-" Sirius sang happily in a demented voice, then James joined him

"Thunderbolt and lightning-very very frightening me- Galileo,galileo,

Galileo galileo

Galileo figaro-magnifico-"

"But I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me-" Sirius piped. James then replied in a low tone,

"He's just a poor boy from a poor family- Spare him his life from this monstrosity-"

It contiued on much in this manner until Sirius belted out a verse in such a comical deep voice that even Remus started laughing,

"Mama mia,mama mia,mama mia let me go-

Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me,for me,for me-" James popped into the last verse singing "me" in such a high falsetto voice that Remus fell over in his stall laughing so hard. He was about to open his mouth to tell the musical duo to quiet down, when James erupted into another a capella head-banger air guitar solo.

"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye- So you think you can love me and leave me to die-" Sirius shouted, the sound of his feet stomping from jumping up and down, "Oh baby-can't do this to me baby- Just gotta get out-just gotta get right outta here-"

Remus tried to quiet his own laughing, but failed, seeing as though the more he got misted from Sirius's head-banging on the other side, the harder it was to stop laughing.

"Nothing really matters, Anyone can see, Nothing really matters-,nothing really matters to me," James finished somberly, and received applause from Sirius and Remus. The door to the showers slammed open angrily.

"Keep the bloody singing down!" a preturbed female voice shouted.

"No girls in here!" Sirius whined.

"Then shut the hell up!" came the heated reply, and with that, the door slammed shut again.

Remus stifled his laughter now; and they all finished their showers in quiet.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the first year dormitories, three exhausted boys flopped onto their four posters. Nearly drifting into slumber; Sirius was tugged back out again by the sound of Frank Longbottom's voice.

"Hey, great singing guys," he whispered across the room, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Mm-hmf," Sirius and James acknowledged sleepily into their pillows. Soon they all fell into a deep sleep; and the sound of crickets outside the window reigned sumpreme throughout the night.

To be continued in chapter six…

A/N: Yeah! Another update!!!!!!!!! I just bought the Queen Platinum collection and I am soooo inspired! Marauder madness and everyday angst. On the downside; school started, and even though the laptop is fixed and I shall never type on it again, updates won't be coming fast. I am also working on another fic, "Like Lovers (Holding On)" starring the Hermione, Pansy, and Ginny, when she shows up. So; I like review; the signed reveiwers like reviews, we all like em. Plus they motivate me! Click click people! Feedback.


	6. Reasons Why

**Chapter Six: Reasons Why**   
  
Disclaimer: I wish I owned them... ::sniffle:: Even if it was only one of them... Andromeda Black forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Summary: Sirius James and Peter have started to question Remus's monthly disappearances... 

A few months had come and gone as the school year progressed. Since the start of school Remus Lupin had dislplayed a recurring habit of vanishing for a few days out of every month. This detail was blown off by Sirius, James, and Peter the first few times; accepting the excuse about sick relatives. But as this routine continued predictably, they all began to question his family's health. 

The day started as it generally did. As always Sirius was the last to rise, James had woken earlier but was still laying sleepily on his four-poster, and Peter was already waiting for them in the Common Room or the Great Hall. However, a slim brunette member of their troupe of terror was absent. Remus would always be awake before his two Gryffindor companions, though it was hard to tell if he rose before his Hufflepuff friend. Surprisingly, Peter Pettigrew was an early riser. 

Sirius and James trudged groggily down the staircase dressed for the day, but hardly presentable. James's hair looked as though it were exposed to static electricity for it stood on end in a fashion messier than was normal; Sirius's hair looked no better either. Both had on their school robes, which were crumpled and haphazardly thrown on. James adjusted his glasses. Of course, this was also a daily routine. Once the clock passed ten o'clock the boys would suddenly spring to life and switch to "terrorize-everyone-and-everything-in-sight mode", so when the half asleep duo met Peter in the Common Room, the Hufflepuff felt no need to die in a fit of hysterics or from visual shock. 

"Remus gone again?" the shortest member inquired, for lack of any better conversational material at a time in the morning in which his companions deemed ungodly. Sirius nodded his head lethargically. 

"His cousin's sick again," James croaked. As they made their way to the Great Hall Sirius turned and headed in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower. 

"Where're you goin?" James grumbled after his friend. 

"Forgot my Transfiguation book," Black responded leaving the other two in the corridor to await his return. 

Sirius plodded wearily up the stairs back to the First-Year dormitory. He was always unbearably tired in the A.M., but for some reason he felt like a walking corpse today. Maybe it had something to do with his dream involving himself in a dog's body bounding aroung all night chasing nocturnal creatures in the Forbidded Forest. Active dreams drained Sirius physically. 

He shuffled through his trunk before realizing none of his schoolbooks were there. Scratching his head in a puzzled manner he looked up to find his bag hanging from a post on his bed. He pulled the bag down and was thouroughly pleased to discover that all of his textbooks were safe inside and felt rather stupid that he forgot all of them. Not that the dark-haired boy would need them today since he planned on snoozing through most of his classes to catch up on lost mental energy. 

He turned to leave the room before swivelling around and facing the source that caught his attention. Remus's four-poster was next to Sirius's own, and above the tawny-haired young man's night table hung a calendar. Nothing unusual, but Sirius noticed red circles on the calendar. He examined closer and discovered that the date of the full moon was encircled in bright red. Curiously, he flipped through the rest of the calendar only to find that every full moon out of the year had been circled as well. Sirius backed away and left the room pondering this pontential mystery. He could've sworn Remus hated potions. 

What Sirius Black had failed to notice was that last night had been a full moon. 

James Potter stared blankly at his quill pen. Physically he was awake and there, but mentally he was wandering far from the Hogwarts grounds. Next to him, Sirius was dead to the world, and on the other side of him Peter was furiously taking notes. The poor boy looked terribly confused. James was happily staring at the crossbeams on the ceiling until a large book was slammed before him on the table and he and Sirius was jolted back into reality. 

Before the three boys stood an extremely vexed Professor Wydell. The silver-eyed professor raked a dissapproving glare over Sirius and James. 

"Snoozing in class are we gents?" She inquired venomously, donning her characteristicly wicked grin. Peter backed his chair away from the all-too-calm Defense professor. 

"Don't move another inch Pettigrew. You're not in trouble yet," she snapped, not bothering to look in the Hufflepuff's direction. Her glare was fixed on the darkhaired pair. 

"I think a pop quiz is what this class needs, and you all have Potter and Black to thank," the woman declared before striding over to the blackboard to post the quiz assignment for the rest of the class. 

"And five points apiece shall be deducted from Gryffindor for Potter and Black's typical display of miscreant behaviour," Wydell gaily proclaimed as she finished posting her assignment. All eyes in the room focused on Sirius and James in smoldering glares. The two Gryffindors were profusely thankful that glares couldn't kill, for the pair would have been dead long ago by the looks they had recieved that day. 

"YES!!! Fresh air!!!!!" James cried jubilantly as he dashed about the school grounds, rejoicing to be freed from his shackles for the day. After surving Wydell's pop quiz of the century, all three boys graciously welcomed the end of the day and the emergence into the sunlight. Sirius followed James's lead and ran around like a madman, attempting a handspring once on a while and failing miserably before getting up to expell more pent up energy. Peter laughed as he ran to catch up with the two, just as happy to be outside. 

After a while of pointless running around, the three boys found an activity more worth their while upon sighting a small group of Slytherin girls. The trio grinned at one another as they realized that one of the girls among the group was Sirius's unbearable cousin Narcissa, Andromeda's Sixth Year sister. As if on cue, a figure lurking in the shadows of nearby shrubbery emerged from hiding and latched on to Sirius, sending him toppling to the ground with a rather high and feminine shriek. The spry figure of Andromeda Black fell over in fits of hysterics upon hearing her younger cousin's scream and seeing the expression on his face. Apparently Andromeda was in one of her "latch-on" modes and was giggling like and intoxicated madwoman. 

"Watcha ya up to lads?" she chirped still sitting proudly atop Sirius. "We were scheming up a preemptive strike against Slytherin snobs," James offered, glad he was not the object of Andromeda's hyperactivity, "Wanna help?" 

Andromeda looked in the direction of the aforementioned Slytherins and took notice with a snort of disgust that her sister was among them. She faced James and grinned suddenly, a malicious and terrible grin that warned even the bravest among men to keep their distance. 

"Love to," she confirmed. 

"What are we going to do anyway?" Peter asked, causing the crew to stop a minute and think. 

This plan wasn't elabourately plotted hours or days in advance, it was a spur-of-the-moment development that required quick wits and clever improvisation... much to their misfortune the one needed for such a task was absent due to his so-called "ill" cousin. Sirius highly doubted Daphne was really sick to begin with. But that was not the important topic of the hour; an impromtu prank was. The four seated themselves beneath the willow racking their brains for the perfect small-scale war, everything that came to their minds was far too grand or required too much advanced preparation- but Sirius mentally stored the ideas away for use at a later date. Much plotting and planning had gone by when suddenly James's face brightened. 

"I have it!" he exclaimed, the others focused intenly on the bespectacled youth awaiting his plan, "We've been going for the complicated stuff too much when the answer is way too simple. 

"You see, in the ways of all geniuses, we have advanced very far in our area of expertise and have adapted to all things grand-scale and elabourate. We have long forgotten that primitive solutions are often the best and in the haste of progress we have given little respect to the great pranks of old." 

Sirius, Peter, and Andromeda all stared blankly at the boy before them; Sirius then spoke up. 

"Potter, what the hell is that supposed to mean? And how, praytell, does it help us?" 

As if waiting for that very question, James pulled several limp rubber object from the pockets of his robes. Balloons, but not just any old balloons, 

"Muggle water balloons!!!!" Peter squeaked in excitement. Andromeda nodded in approval, and Sirius frowned. 

"I could've thought of that," he grumbled. 

"Then why didn't you?" James asked simply, leaving Sirius at a loss for words. 

The quartet dissappeared into the castle for several minutes before returning to the scene of their future crime to begin short preparations for their assault. 

To their great forutune, the group was still in their previous spots and now facing their backs to the small crew of deviants. James gave his motley crew the thumbs-up as they readied their water balloons for launch. Following the tousle-haired boy's lead, Sirius, Peter, and Andromeda stealthily snuck behind the oblivious girls with water projectiles at the ready. Each of the pranksters staked out behind various shrubbery with Sirius as their go ahead signal. He glanced at the prank leader for a go-ahead. James Potter nodded, and Sirius gestured to the others to attack. 

With a great cry each of the four emerged from their hiding positions in an all-out guerilla attack, pelting the older Slytherin girls with their water balloons. The girls screamed in surprise, others yelled threats- the pranksters felt it in their best interests to flee from the scene before any true terror could be unleashed from the wet and furious young witches. 

Sirius slumped onto the large squishy red couch in the common room clutching his sides while tears of mirth filled his eyes. Now in the safety of the Gryffindor Tower, the quartet felt they could now fully enjoy the effect of their attack. 

"Did ya hear Juniper?" Peter was still laughing, despite the pain in his side, "'Damn you! Stupefy!" 

The mousy boy stood up to imitate the Slytherin girl while the others shrieked in hysterics. 

"I know! They all tried I think!" Sirius howled, "They never expected something so simple! Great job Jimbo!" 

"Damn clever if I do say so myself," James beamed. 

Eventually the laughter died down and all regained control of their jubilee, still wiping away tears from their eyes and managing exhausted chuckles here and there. Another Gryffindor girl emerged at the top of the stairs. 

"Hey, Andy," she shouted, "You wanna come with me and check on the garden?" 

Andromeda looked up and grinned, 

"Sure!" she replied and then looked back at the boys, "Will you three survive without moi?" 

Sirius put on a sad pout, "I don't know how, but we'll try to carry on without you here," he responded with mock sorrow. Andromeda giggled and reached over to muss his hair, 

"You're so cute," she chirped, standing up, "Don't have too much fun without me." 

The other Gryffindor girl had decended the stairs and was waiting for Andromeda at the portrait hole. 

"Why do you hang out with those first-years?" the other girl asked as they left the Common Room. Andromeda smiled and responded simply, 

"Cuz they're cool, and they're my friends." 

"If you say so, Andy," the other girl shrugged. 

Night fell on Hogwarts as Sirius lay on the couch in deep thought. Everything about Remus was beginning to puzzle him; it seemed as though everyone of the tawny-haired boy's quirks were all connected somehow. For some reason Sirius was unable to figure out just _how_ it all fit together though. 

"Don't hurt yourelf, Siri," James said after seemingly appearing out of nowhere causing Sirius to jump about a mile off the couch. The bespectacled youth snickered at the stealth of his entrance, glad he could finally catch his friend off guard. 

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Sirius shot back defensively. 

"That's twice in one day that you've asked that," James smirked, "You're showing your intelligence. Did thinking so hard hurt, you troll?" 

"Sod off Potter," Sirius growled. 

"Fine, fine," James resigned, moving to seat himself on the couch and forcing Sirius to move his feet and sit up. Sirius stared into the waning fire intently, the thoughtful look still plastered on his face. James's humour faded as he took note of Sirius's brooding mood. 

"Hey," he asked cautiously, "What's up mate?" 

Sirius took a few moments to respond, 

"Remus," was the answer. James nodded, the topic now brought up, it had been on James's mind for a while. 

"Everything's linked somehow," Sirius said quietly, "I just don't know how." 

"What's linked?" James asked. 

"His relatives can't be in that poor health," Sirius started, "He leaves around the same time every month, he's so pale. Whenever he comes back... he's so tired, and worse than usual. And then there's also his calendar. He has the moon phases marked. I thought he hates potions." 

"Maybe..." James started, "I think we should go to the Library tomorrow. I think I might have an idea, I want to check it out first though." 

"An idea?" Sirius perked up. 

"Yeah," his friend responded, "Like I said, I want to check it out first before I say anything. What'd you say we call it a night?" 

Sirius nodded, 

"Sounds good to me." 

However, neither boys slept well that night. Both racked their brains trying to solve the mystery that was Remus Lupin. They had known him before Hogwarts of course, but they hadn't been around the boy enough to notice anything out of the ordinary. 

One thing was certain: 

Starting tomorrow, the three boys would begin a tireless search to get to the bottom of the suspicious absences of their friend. A new mission was beginning.   
  
_To be continued in chapter seven..._

A/N: I hate writer's block. I must confess this fic was created on a whim and is updated on whims. I don't have anything grand planned for it or outlined, it just comes as I get inspired. I'll probably update more now that I'm on break. 

Anyways. I don't like it in the majority of fics when Peter is just this annoying little loser that follows the others like a shadow. It's hard, but I've taken the challenge as great writers who inspire me have, and I shall attempt to give him a personality. Also, Andromeda's the most fun ever to develop. Hehe... I drew her. 


End file.
